Monthly Archives: December 2014

Veteran Education Equals Opportunity – TODAY!

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educationToday’s veterans are among the most educated, technically savvy, and diverse group of veterans in our nation’s history. Today’s veterans even, at their lowest levels of rank, have experience in working in diverse environments, putting leadership training to use in the workplace, working in trusted environments, and communicating clearly and directly. Veterans transitioning out of the military today have certifications and training in a wide variety of fields including, but not limited to, truck driving, mechanics, engineering, IT and computer networking, IT security, and much more.

Today 82.8% of military officers have a bachelors degree or higher and about 30% of veterans over the age of 25 have a bachelors degree or higher. 

Many veterans wonder what they can do for a career if they do not have an education or enough education. There are actually many options. With the military educational money that veterans have there are opportunities in traditional colleges as well as other educational programs. Traditional colleges generally have a veteran representative that can help veterans navigate the application process and access their military education money.

Lifehacker just released a great article that can introduce veterans to just some of what they can do with just an associates degree. Check it out here…

If you are not sure if you should go for that two year degree / associate’s degree then read this article over at Military.com – 3 Reasons to Get Your Associate Degree

Check out some of these great opportunities. While they are in the San Antonio area they can give you the details you need to go and look for something in your area that is similar. Programs such as these exist in many cities across the U.S.

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CERTIFICATE FOR APARTMENT MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN TRAINING

JANUARY 20 – FEBRUARY 6, 2015

GOODWILL GOOD CAREERS ACADEMY 12332
“IH-10 WEST AT DE ZAVALA

Seminar hours: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

For information on how to apply for this opportunity call 210/924-8581 (ext. 5907).

Veterans who wish to go down the road of entrepreneurship have a lot of opportunities today to learn, get mentored and find proven methods of business success. If you are interested in joining the ranks of veterans who own their own business then you will definitely be interested in some of the outstanding opportunities available to you right now. Many of these opportunities are free for veterans! While many of these opportunities are in the San Antonio area we encourage veterans to look into their local Chamber, SBA, and university locations to find out if programs like this are being offered in their location.

We posted a while back that the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce is “re-booting” their entrepreneurial boot-camp for military veterans. You can learn more about that here.

Veterans who want to join the SBA and start down the track of entrepreneurship shouldcheck out the latest article on the San Antonio Business Journal site. The SBA is extending their fee waiver program for veterans through 2015!

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Veterans and transitioning military interested in starting their own business should also check out the San Antonio Small Business Development Center at UTSA. This program offers a number of benefits including special veterans assistance.

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Forward March Inc. has an outstanding relationship with our customer Fred Astarie Dance Studios. You owe it to yourself to check out our previous post to learn more about the outstanding opportunities for employment and even franchise ownership with them.

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For veterans who want to learn a new skill, or expand on a skill-set should check out the fine folks over at Workforce Solutions Alamo and Alamo Colleges are collaborating to offer short-term skills development programs in the areas of Information Technology, the Manufacturing Industry and Aerospace. Learn more here. 

Super Millennials; Hiring the Best of a Generation

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hiring the best of a generationIts 0430 in the morning at a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Afghanistan. A 30-year old Platoon Sergeant performs a Pre-Combat Inspection (PCI) with her team. Helmets and ballistic eye protection are in place and canteens are filled. Weapons are cleaned, zeroed, and a function check has been performed. As she briefs her platoon on the current mission, it’s cold and windy, but the team is motivated and ready to get to work. Surprisingly, this well-oiled machine is made up entirely of millennials, the cohort of Americans born between 1980 and the mid-2000s.

For these Soldiers, their generation is known for being lazy, yet they are up while the rest of the word sleeps. The generation labeled as pampered has been sleeping on cots and eating Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) for months. They don’t make excuses. They and are held accountable for their actions and the actions of their team. Not everyone gets a trophy for being there. Only the best are called Corporal or Sergeant.

The global war on terror has largely been fought on the backs of this generation of outstanding and dedicated young people.  In fact, nearly 70% of the Medals of Honor awarded in both Iraq and Afghanistan were earned by millennials. The remaining 30% were earned by Gen Xers.

Here are the top ten reasons to hire millennial veterans:

  1. Military veterans have a global perspective that most can only imagine. They have been stationed around the world and adapt easily to their environment. They are aware of, and have a respect for cultural differences.
  2. Millennial veterans are calm under pressure. They have operated in the most chaotic of situations and got the job done.
  3. Veterans are known for being team oriented and veteran millennials are no different. Soldiers, Sailor, Airmen, Guardians, and Marines rely on each other to accomplish the mission in life or death situations. Now that’s teamwork!
  4. Millennial veterans are excellent leaders forged in over thirteen years of global conflict. They are loyal, dedicated, and highly motivated.
  5. Millennials generally are viewed as over-confident. Millennial veterans, on the other hand, are professionals with a high degree of integrity. They have an air of respect and a sense of honor.
  6. Veterans are responsible. These millennials know how to make decisions and they take responsibility for their successes and failures.
  7. In an age of sedimentary life-styles spending all day behind a video game, millennial veterans are physically fit, generally drug free, and take fewer sick days than their contemporaries.
  8. Millennial veterans have thousands of dollars in training and educational benefits that often times go unused. If they need additional training, it will be paid for. There are tax incentives, as well, just for hiring them.
  9. Veterans are highly trained and well-educated with the skills the civilian workforce is looking for and millennial veterans are no different.
  10. Millennials are looking for meaningful work and they found it in the military. As they leave the service, they will join and stay with your company If you engage them and make them part of the team.

VETERANS U NEED THEMAttracting military talent can be an overwhelming task, especially for those organizations that do not understand military culture. Forward March’s (FMI) team has over 110 years of combined military experience with over 35 years dedicated specifically to hiring veterans. FMI can train your staff to attract, hire, and retain top military talent. We have a comprehensive Military Talent Hiring Guide and outstanding training that can get your department staffing positions very quickly. We can also help you to develop a pipeline and hiring strategy for success and train your human resource department on all the best ways to recruit military talent. If your company is committed to hiring military veterans, let FMI show you how.

~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services

73 Year Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack

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Pearl Harbor 73

Just before 8:00 On December 7th, 1941 Japan launched a surprise attack against the United States at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 2,403 U.S. citizens, to include 800 civilians, were killed during the attack and an additional 1,178 people were wounded. The U.S. had 8 battleships of the Pacific Fleet, which were sunk or badly damaged. This attack launched the U.S. into World War II. Today there are less than 5,000 survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack. Yesterday marked the 73rd anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack.

 Let us never forget the brave souls who lost their lives on that day 73 years ago.

Survivors Gather to Remember Pearl Harbor Attack.

November 5th Weekly Roundup

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Enduring FreedomIts Friday again, so break out those red shirts! R.E.D. Friday is here so remember everyone deployed!

Learn more about RED Fridays:

http://redshirtfridays.org/  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Support_our_troops

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-Our-Troops-Wear-Red-Fridays/188809874489323

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Here is the weekly roundup.

Its been yet another busy week for us here at Forward March Inc. but we have put together some links for you to check out.

For Businesses:

We would encourage everyone who is even remotely entertaining the idea of hiring veterans to read the latest pro-veteran hiring article in Forbes magazine.

Why Every Company Should Consider Hiring Veterans: It Delivers Big Business Value 

Courtney Billington, the author of this article, makes some very good points on veteran hiring for businesses. Just read this section to get a feel for what Billington says veterans can do for your organization.

Across industries, we need to challenge ourselves to translate the military experience to the corporate environment. There is a level of education, awareness, and openness needed to better understand the value of veterans and the skills they bring. Consider a few examples:

  • “Distributed, accounted for, and transported mission critical equipment and supplies to over 20,000 personnel.” Now there’s someone who understands project and supply chain management!
  • “Taught Unit Operations personnel fire mission processing and single-channel ground-to-air radio system digital and voice communications.” I think this person could handle training corporate personnel on technical matters or could manage our information technology projects.
  • “Generated $2.3 million in savings, exceeding original objective of $500K, through management of 100+ high value commodities.” Financial acumen with an appreciation of business impact? No problem there!

For Veterans and Transitioning Military:

ATA sets 100,000-veteran, two-year hiring goal for US trucking 

Veterans Put Their Skills on the Line at Toyota Texas

5 Fortune 500 companies transforming the job market for veterans

Howard Schultz and Starbucks are trying to shift how veterans are hired

More than 30 employers, all hiring, seek out veterans

Recruit Military also has a nice list of veteran job fairs which you can find here… 

As always, if you hear of veteran hiring opportunities let us know and we will post them.

Are You a Great Military Talent Recruiter?

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Good recruiters are not born, they are developed. They are developed through formal training, professional development, and operational experience. Great recruiters, on the other hand, not only develop themselves, but they make a habit of routinely doing exceptional things. Perhaps the most exceptional thing a recruiter can do is have no fear when it comes to attracting and hiring military veterans.

RECRUITING

Whether you are a recruiter for a fortune 500 company or a small business, the fact is the military veteran population is a pool of highly qualified, well-trained, and motivated potential employees ready to work.

Here are some things that exceptional military talent recruiters have and do:

Passion. Recruiting is all about passion. It’s obvious that a great recruiter is passionate about the company he or she works for and they are passionate about the people who want to work there. A great military talent recruiter is even more passionate for our veterans and those currently serving. Thanking a veteran for their service is great, but what we should be doing is giving them opportunity. Move from words to concrete action. Making an extra effort to bring veterans to the team is true passion.

FMI Brochure

Competence. A great military talent recruiter understands the military culture. He or she understands what a Sergeant is and does. They understand what platoons, companies and battalions are. They understand military lingo and how to read a DD 214. This makes them great recruiters because they do not shy away from calling veterans in for an interview. Instead of funneling veteran resumes to the trash bin, they take action. They believe in supporting our troops by hiring them.

Compassion. An outstanding military talent recruiter does not necessarily need to be a veteran, but they definitely need to be sensitive and empathetic to the life experiences of our service members. Knowing what to ask and not to ask during an interview prevents barriers to communication. Understanding potential disabilities, but not letting them skew the hiring decision is not only the right thing to do, it’s the law. Compassion comes from listening. Great recruiters pay outstanding attention to the needs of a veteran applicant.

9547808574_734a2263c8_bMatch people, not paper. I understand military resumes are sometimes confusing and do not always capture the true value of the veteran.   As I have said many times before, our separating military members need to do a better job at military to civilian skills translation. While this remains an uphill battle for our military, great recruiters do two exceptional things here. First, they do not automatically dismiss military resumes. Second, outstanding recruiters can see past the jargon and are willing to give veterans a chance at an interview where the service member can truly highlight their skill-sets.

Not letting a computer do the recruiting. RECRUITING IS A PEOPLE BUSINESS! Allowing software to run key word obsessed recruiting for an organization is the wrong answer. Great recruiters understand this. They interact with people, not machines.   A great military talent recruiter, is aware, however, of key words such as, Company Commander, Platoon Sergeant, Squad leader, Senior Chief, First Sergeant, Wing Commander, etc. These are the key words that identify true leaders and outstanding candidates.

meetingHonesty. Within the military culture, Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are provided initial counseling at the beginning of each new assignment. This counseling lays out all expectations from personal performance to what to expect on the job. Great military talent recruiters do the same thing. Outstanding recruiters are honest about the job they are hiring for. The job description is going to list the duties of a warehouse worker, but it’s up to the recruiter to tell the veteran that in the summer time the temperatures on the warehouse loading dock reach 95 plus degrees. The applicant needs to know that overtime is the norm and so is being called in on short notice when demand increases.   The veteran needs to know it’s a high stress job with a high turn-over rate. Just lay it all out and the veteran employee will step up and make it happen.

Follow-ups. As I talk to many transitioning veterans and listen to their stories, I am completely baffled at the amount of recruiters who do not return a phone calls or e-mails. A great military talent recruiter understands the fighting spirit of our military members and understand that an aggressive follow-up by veteran applicants are par for the course. While I understand recruiters are extremely busy, that is no excuse for ignoring those who gave so much of themselves to protect the freedoms we enjoy. Outstanding military talent recruiters are never too busy to return a phone call or an e-mail and always keep the applicant informed.

FMI TENANTS LOGOGreat recruiters are not born, they are developed. Let Forward March Inc. train your recruiters to be exceptional military talent scouts. We have a comprehensive Military Talent Hiring Guide and we can help develop a pipeline and hiring strategy for success as well as train your HR department on all the best ways to recruit military veterans. We will take your company from good to great!

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Forward March Inc Military Hiring Guide

Forward March Inc Military Hiring Guide

~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services

Hiring Our Heroes Hiring Fair – December 9 – 10

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ATTENTION ALL MILITARY VETERANS AND TRANSITIONING MILITARY – Next week the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation will be holding their Hiring Our Heroes Hiring Fair. Forward March Inc. will be attending this hiring fair. Make sure you do not miss this event and be sure to stop by and meet with us as well.

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San Antonio Hiring Fair

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 – 5:30pm to Wednesday, December 10, 2014 – 3:00pm
Hiring Our Heroes
AT&T Center, 1 AT&T Center Pkwy

San Antonio, TX 78219

United States
Resume and Interview Tips and Suggestions
If you are attending but want to make sure you are putting your best foot forward be sure to read our three part series on preparing for a job interview. This series covers interviewing tips, social media tips and resume suggestions. Read more here…
Don’t forget to check out our tools and resources page for veterans and transitioning military here…
For a really comprehensive list of military hiring fairs around the country check out Military.com here…
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Talent Pipeline Vs. Staffing

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Forward March Inc Military Talent Pipeline Services - Affordable, Customized, Scalable

Forward March Inc Military Talent Pipeline Services – Affordable, Customized, Scalable

America’s military is the most educated, best trained, and highly motivated fighting force the world has ever seen. Those men and women transitioning from the military are a great national resource who can make a huge difference to any organization that has dedicated itself to hiring outstanding military veterans.

At Forward March Incorporated, we understand the true value of those who have served and we are dedicated to teaching companies how to attract, hire, and retain high quality veteran employees. While we are not a staffing company, one of the many ways we accomplish this is through military pipeline development.

So what’s the difference between staffing and a talent pipeline?

Staffing is the process of recruiting and hiring personnel with a specific set of skill sets, for a specific position within an organization. Doing this requires a dedicated team of recruiters and hiring managers who understand the exact and immediate hiring needs of the company.

For the most part, organizations do a good job of filling positions as new requirements open up, but forecasting staffing requirements proves far more difficult. It’s not always clear what future staffing requirements will be down the road. Predicting future staffing requirements requires forward thinking on behalf of hiring managers. They must account for turnover, promotions, expansions, reductions, and a myriad of other factors that impact staffing needs.

Talent pipeline, on the other hand, provides companies with a pool of qualified candidates ready to fill critical positions as they become available. A robust talent pipeline ensures the right person is placed in the right position at the right time.

Utilizing a talent pipeline is a great way for organizations to adapt to changing staff needs. A talent pipeline allows recruiters to focus on the here and now, while giving hiring managers the peace of mind knowing that the candidate pool can be turned off and on as personnel needs evolve.

FMI’s unique approach to a military talent pipeline allows us to continuously sell your organization as a great place for veterans to work. Most important of all, FMI is committed to providing our talent services free of charge to the veteran work force. Regardless of your manpower needs, let FMI fill your organization with hard working, loyal, and well trained American veterans.

To learn more visit our website and contact us today! www.forwardmarchinc.com 

~ Article written by Jason Caswell, Forward March Inc – Director of Training and Talent Pipeline Services

Forward March Inc. Holiday Networking Mixer

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Forward March Inc. will be hosting our first annual Holiday Networking Mixer at our worldwide headquarters in San Antonio Texas.

FMI Christmas Party

Forward March Inc. would like to invite you to our Holiday Networking Mixer. We will be hosting the event at our corporate office on December 10th. Come and join us for an enjoyable relaxed evening of networking. We will have heavy hors d’oeuvres as well as beer and wine. We will also be featuring our guest musician and wounded warrior J.P. Lane who will be providing our musical entertainment.
We will also be collecting gift cards or monetary donations on behalf of St. Pj’s Children’s Home a San Antonio foster home for children.

Veteran Employment Opportunity

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CERTIFICATE FOR APARTMENT MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN TRAINING

JANUARY 20 – FEBRUARY 6, 2015

GOODWILL GOOD CAREERS ACADEMY 12332
“IH-10 WEST AT DE ZAVALA

Seminar hours: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

For information on how to apply for this opportunity call 210/924-8581 (ext. 5907).

Happy Birthday to the Civil Air Patrol

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Civil_Air_Patrol_sealHappy Birthday to the Civil Air Patrol. In the late 1930s, more than 150,000 volunteers with a love for aviation argued for an organization to put their planes and flying skills to use in defense of their country.  As a result, the Civil Air Patrol was born one week prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Read More Here….